With the Moodle 5.x series now well underway, Moodle 5.1 represents a confident step forward. It doesn’t radically reinvent the platform — that groundwork was laid in Moodle 5.0 — but it meaningfully refines the day-to-day experience for educators, learners, and administrators alike. As organisations start planning ahead for Moodle 5.3, the next Long-Term Support (LTS) release, 5.1 plays an important role in smoothing the journey.
From Foundation to Fine-Tuning: 5.0 vs 5.1
Released earlier in the 5.x cycle, Moodle 5.0 was a foundational release. It introduced major UI modernisation, a unified activities overview, expanded AI capabilities, and underlying technical upgrades that set the direction for future versions. In many ways, 5.0 was about capability.
Moodle 5.1, by contrast, is about usability. It builds on those foundations by making existing tools easier to find, easier to manage, and easier to control — particularly in real-world teaching and administration scenarios.
Smarter Activity and Course Management
One of the standout improvements in 5.1 is the enhanced activity chooser. Activities are now grouped by educational purpose (such as assessment or collaboration), with clearer indicators showing whether an activity is gradable. This reduces friction when building courses and helps educators choose the right tools more confidently.
The activities overview has also been expanded, offering better visibility of deadlines, progress, and workload across more activity types. For learners, this means fewer missed deadlines; for educators, fewer “Where do I find…?” questions.
Greater Control Over AI and Content Creation
AI remains a growing part of Moodle’s roadmap, and 5.1 gives institutions more granular control over how AI tools are used. Admins can better manage providers and availability at course or activity level, making it easier to align AI use with organisational policies.
Content creation and feedback workflows also see subtle but welcome improvements. Enhancements to the text editor, a resizable grading panel, and better feedback tracking all add up to a smoother marking and review experience.
Admin-Friendly Enhancements and Modernisation
From a governance perspective, Moodle 5.1 introduces practical improvements such as stronger security around password recovery and more flexible manual enrolment options, including group assignment and start dates. Behind the scenes, technical changes — including optional routing updates — continue Moodle’s gradual modernisation.
Why Moodle 5.1 Matters
Moodle 5.1 may not grab headlines, but it delivers where it counts: making Moodle easier to use, easier to manage, and better prepared for the future. For organisations planning an eventual move to 5.3 LTS, adopting 5.1 now can be a smart way to benefit from incremental improvements while reducing upgrade friction later on.
Looking Ahead to Moodle 5.3 LTS
Scheduled as the next Long-Term Support release, Moodle 5.3 will prioritise stability, polish, and long-term maintainability. While exact features are still evolving, it’s expected to consolidate improvements from 5.1 and 5.2, refine AI governance, and further enhance performance and accessibility.
